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Artificial cardiac valve prostheses designed as a metal wire cage housing an elastomeric ball. The valve is placed at the output of a chamber of the heart; when there is a contraction of the heart, the ball is pushed against the wire cage and blood flows as long as the pressure inside the chamber exceeds the pressure outside. After the heart contraction ends, the pressure inside the chamber is less than the pressure at the other side of the valve and sends the ball back against the base of the cage to stop (i.e., sealing) the blood flow. Cage-ball artificial cardiac valves are frequently used to replace the mitral and/or aortic valve.
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